Connector assemblies having cooperatively-engaging male and female connectors have heretofore been used for providing electrical connections between printed circuit boards. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 408,361. Such connector assemblies can serve to transmit power and/or electrical signals. A variety of pins, blades or other male electrically conductive bodies and sockets or other female electrically conductive bodies are utilized in such connector assemblies for transmitting electrical energy or signals. Exemplary electrically conductive bodies for transmitting electrical energy are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,749,357, 4,824,380, 5,431,576, 5,575,690, Des. 366,239, Des. 366,241, Des. 366,454, Des. 368,071, Des. 372,220 and Des. 405,417. Many of such existing electrically conductive bodies are made from multiple parts, which can increase the resistivity and thus decrease the efficiency of the electrically conductive body.
There is a continual need for smaller connector assemblies of the same capability as existing connector assemblies. An improved connector assembly would ideally be relatively small in size and have a relatively small profile with respect to the printed circuit boards. The electrically conductive bodies utilized in such a connector assembly would preferably be formed from a minimal number of parts.